Blessed: Balanced and Blooming

Day 3

Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works. -Hebrews 10:23-24
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God's garden is sprouting and growing! No one watched as he plannes and prepared to plant, but the results will soon be visible for all to see.

Garddeners spend a great deal of time figuting out what the garden will look like as summer deepens Will it be formal ond orderly, or will it appear more casual, with swooping curves and irregular clumbs? Which plants should go where to provide the right balance of height? What plants will fill the farden with color during the growing season, each blloming ar a different time? And how might some features be arranged to attract butterblies and bees?

Choosing what to plant is a bit like putting friends together. Can you point to friends who have help you blossom, grow, and flourish? These friends may differ from you in many ways, but your friendships fit tofether to create an artful masterpiece.

yet, the opposite can also be true. It might look wonderful to plant flowers aroung the base of that large, mature tree you've alwaus loved, but the intense comperirion for moisture and nutrients can keep the flowers from blooming to their full potential. Did you know that placing plants too close together can actually stop some of them from growing?

Who in your circle of friends provides o sense of balance and helps you thrive? Who complements you as a companion-not overwhelming you, nut supporting you? Who is there to losten, to care, and to protect? On the other end of the spectrum, is there someone who is actually attracting the pests and introducing spiritual diseases that will stunt your growth or threaten to destroy you?

Take heart as you reread Hebrews 10:23-24. Then ask Jesus to bring into you life the kinds of companionship that will sput you on to "love and to good works."

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, make me an encourager to others, even as you wncourage me through others. Amen.